Irregular Modern Greek Verbs

As mentioned in the general information
on Greek verbs, each Greek verb comes in two flavors, which
we called vanilla and strawberry, which become
three if we count the passive chocolate as a separate
flavor. (Please visit the previous link and read the beginning of
that page to see the justification for this choice of words.) In
a brief introductory paragraph on irregular verbs we saw that
there are three verbs (βλέπω = I see, λέω = I say, and
τρώω = I eat) that have totally unrelated vanilla and
strawberry flavors (είδα = I saw, είπα = I said, and
έφαγα = I ate). All other irregular verbs have flavors of
vanilla and strawberry (and chocolate in the passive voice) that
are more-or-less related to each other (they have at least some
common consonants) but they are irregular because they cannot be
pigeonholed into one of the regular patterns (see the page on regular Greek verbs for a list of those
patterns).

The verbs listed in this page are by no means all of
the irregular verbs in Greek. However, they are taken from the
list of the 1000 most common Greek words (for information on how
this list was obtained, see this footnote), so
in a way they are the irregular Greek verbs a learner would want
to look at for most practical purposes.

Verbs in their main tables are listed in this page by
frequency of occurrence in the language, in reverse order (high
frequencies first). A list (“Table of Contents”) is given
immediately below, for ease of locating a given verb
alphabetically.

Finally note that a characteristic of Greek verbs is that
often prepositions can be prepended to a base verb, changing
completely its meaning. Prepositional forms are listed under the
tables of the main verb entry, in a note; but because they are
too many, they have been omitted from the Table of Contents,
below; so it is recommended that the reader use the search
function of their browser to locate verbs in this page. Often the
compound prepositional verb is more common than its base form; in
that case, the prepositional form is shown as a main entry, and
the base together with all other prepositional verbs follow in a
note.

Note: The entire conjugation of this verb (all persons) is given here.

have :έχω

Active Voice (this verb has
no passive or middle voice)

Present

έχω

I have / I am having

Imperfect

είχα

I had / used to have

Past

είχα

I had

Future Progressive

θα έχω

I will be having

Future

θα έχω

I will have

Subjunctive Progressive

να έχω

to be having

Subjunctive

να έχω

to have

Conditional Progressive

θα είχα

I would have

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα είχα

I [possibly] would have

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να είχα

[I wish] I had

Assumption

[πρέπει] να είχα

I [must] have had

Imperative Progressive

έχε! να έχεις!

have! [continuously]

Imperative

έχε! να έχεις!

have!

Present Perfect

--

I have had

Pluperfect

--

I had had

Future Perfect

--

I will have had

Conditional Perfect

--

I would have had

Present Participle

έχοντας

having

Note 1: There is no vanilla vs. strawberry distinction in verb
έχω. As a result, the imperfect is identical with the past
form: only the context can differentiate whether είχα is
meant in the progressive or instantaneous sense.

Note 2: Since the forms of this verb are only two (έχω and
είχα), its entire conjugation can be given here, in all three
persons and two numbers, thus: present: έχω, έχεις,
έχει, έχουμε, έχετε, έχουν/έχουνε; and
imperfect/past: είχα, είχες, είχε, είχαμε,
είχατε, είχαν/είχανε. The last ε in the 3rd
person plural is called a “euphonic epsilon”, and is used to
make the speech continuous, usually when the next word starts
with a consonant which is not one of κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ; but it
is not mandatory. (The euphonic epsilon applies not only to
έχω but to all verbs in the 3rd person plural.)

Note: The middle voice does not make much sense
for the verb above. However, πάρσου (middle imperative) is
possible, though extremely rare.

say :λέω

Active Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem -λε-, -λεγ-

Strawberry flavor:
stem -π-

Present

λέω / λέγω

I say / am saying

Imperfect

έλεγα

I was saying / used to say

Past

είπα

I said

Future Progressive

θα λέω / θα λέγω

I will be saying

Future

θα πω

I will say

Subjunctive Progressive

να λέω / να λέγω

to be saying

Subjunctive

να πω

to say

Conditional Progressive

θα έλεγα

I would say / be saying

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα είπα

I [possibly] said

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να έλεγα

[I wish] I could say

Assumption

[πρέπει] να είπα

I [must] have said

Imperative Progressive

λέγε!

start talking!

Imperative

πες!

say!

Present Perfect

έχω πει

I have said

Pluperfect

είχα πει

I had said

Future Perfect

θα έχω πει

I will have said

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα πει

I would have said

Present Participle

λέγοντας

saying

Middle Voice (meaning: I am
called / my apellation is)

Passive Voice (meaning: I am
said)

Vanilla flavor:
stem -λεγ-

Chocolate flavor:
stem -πωθ-

Present

λέγομαι

I am called

Imperfect

λεγόμουν

I was being called

Past

ειπώθηκα

I was said

Future Progressive

θα λέγομαι

I will be being called

Future

θα ειπωθώ

I will be said

Subjunctive Progressive

να λέγομαι

to be being called

Subjunctive

να ειπωθώ

to be said

Conditional Progressive

θα λεγόμουν

I would be called

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα
ειπώθηκα

I [possibly] am said

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
λεγόμουν

[I wish] I could be called

Assumption

[πρέπει] να
ειπώθηκα

I [must] have been said

Imperative Progressive

να λέγεσαι!

[start] being called!

Imperative

να ειπωθείς!

be said!

Present Perfect

έχω ειπωθεί

I have been said

Pluperfect

είχα ειπωθεί

I had been said

Future Perfect

θα έχω ειπωθεί

I will have been said

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα ειπωθεί

I would have been said

Past Participle

λεγόμενο, -νη, -νος

called, so-called

Note 1: The middle voice of the verb above has a different
meaning than its active and passive senses, and is formed by the
vanilla stem. The passive voice occurs almost always in the 3rd
person, due to the concept it describes (ειπώθηκε = “it
was said”, θα ειπωθεί = “it will be said”, etc.).
The passive present and imperfect of this sense are also formed
by the stem -λεγ- (λέγεται = “it is said”,
λεγόταν = “it was being said/used to be said”, etc.).

Note 3: The active vanilla stem -λε- is more common (in
speech & writing) than -λεγ-; thus, it is more common to
hear or read λέω, rather than λέγω (and also in the other
persons: λες, λέει, λέμε, λέτε, λέν/λένε,
rather than λέγεις, λέγει, λέγουμε,
λέγετε, λέγουν/λέγουνε). It should be noted
that -λε- is a result of erosion of -λεγ-, which is the
original (ancient) stem. In the imperfect and imperative,
however, no erosion is observed (no *έλεα, or *λέε!).
Also, none of the compounds (see note 2) uses the stem -λε-.

Active Voice (this verb has
no passive voice, but has a special meaning in middle
voice)

Vanilla flavor:
stem -καν- & -καμν-

Strawberry flavor:
stem -καν-

Present

κάνω

I do / am doing

Imperfect

έκανα & έκαμνα

I was doing / used to do

Past

έκανα

I did

Future Progressive

θα κάνω

I will be doing

Future

θα κάνω

I will do

Subjunctive Progressive

να κάνω

to be doing

Subjunctive

να κάνω

to do

Conditional Progressive

θα έκανα & θα
έκαμνα

I would do / be doing

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα έκανα

I [possibly] did

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να έκανα
& να έκαμνα

[I wish] I could do

Assumption

[πρέπει] να έκανα

I [must] have done

Imperative Progressive

κάνε!

[start] doing!

Imperative

κάνε!

do!

Present Perfect

έχω κάνει

I have done

Pluperfect

είχα κάνει

I had done

Future Perfect

θα έχω κάνει

I will have done

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα κάνει

I would have done

Present Participle

κάνοντας

doing

Middle Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem -καμών-

Chocolate flavor:
stem -καμώθ-

Present

καμώνομαι

I pretend / am pretending

Imperfect

καμωνόμουν

I was pretending

Past

καμώθηκα

I pretended

Future Progressive

θα καμώνομαι

I will be pretending

Future

θα καμωθώ

I will pretend

Subjunctive Progressive

να καμώνομαι

to be pretending

Subjunctive

να καμωθώ

to pretend

Conditional Progressive

θα καμωνόμουν

I would be pretending

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα
καμώθηκα

I [possibly] pretended

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
καμωνόμουν

[I wish] I could be pretending

Assumption

[πρέπει] να
καμώθηκα

I [must] have pretended

Imperative Progressive

να καμώνεσαι!

[start] pretending!

Imperative

να καμωθείς!

pretend!

Present Perfect

έχω καμωθεί

I have pretended

Pluperfect

είχα καμωθεί

I had pretended

Future Perfect

θα έχω καμωθεί

I will have pretended

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα καμωθεί

I would have pretended

Passive Voice

Past Participle

καμωμένο, -νη, -νος

done, made

Note 1: the stem -καμν- is non-standard, used in some
Greek localities only (mainly in Macedonia).
However, in the imperfect it is heard occasionally among other
native speakers too, because it distinguishes between the
imperfect and past tenses. This verb derives from ancient
κάμνω, meaning “I tire/am getting tired”, from which
also nouns such as κάματος (toil), and καμώματα
(peculiar/unexpected deeds/behavior) are derived.

Note 2: This verb works as a prepositional verb
constructor, with one preposition only (in parentheses: imperfect, subjunctive,
past):αποκάνω or αποκάμνω (από
+ κάνω/κάμνω): resign due to tiredness (απόκανα/απόκαμνα,
αποκάμω, απόκαμα)

Note: The past participle of the above verb does not have the
sense “wanted”, as in “a criminal is wanted” (that sense
is expressed by “καταζητείται”); instead, the
sense of it is “desired”.

see :βλέπω

Active Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem -βλεπ-

Strawberry flavor:
stem -δ-

Present

βλέπω

I see / am seeing

Imperfect

έβλεπα

I was seeing / used to see

Past

είδα

I saw

Future Progressive

θα βλέπω

I will be seeing

Future

θα δω

I will see

Subjunctive Progressive

να βλέπω

to be seeing

Subjunctive

να δω

to see

Conditional Progressive

θα έβλεπα

I would see / be seeing

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα είδα

I [possibly] saw

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να έβλεπα

[I wish] I could see

Assumption

[πρέπει] να είδα

I [must] have seen

Imperative Progressive

βλέπε!

[start] seeing!

Imperative

δες!

see!

Present Perfect

έχω δει

I have seen

Pluperfect

είχα δει

I had seen

Future Perfect

θα έχω δει

I will have seen

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα δει

I would have seen

Present Participle

βλέποντας

seeing

Passive Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem -βλεπ-

Chocolate flavor:
stem -δωθ-

Present

βλέπομαι

I am [being] seen

Imperfect

βλεπόμουν

I was being seen

Past

ειδώθηκα

I was seen

Future Progressive

θα βλέπομαι

I will be being seen

Future

θα ειδωθώ

I will be seen

Subjunctive Progressive

να βλέπομαι

to be being seen

Subjunctive

να ειδωθώ

to be seen

Conditional Progressive

θα βλεπόμουν

I would be seen

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα
ειδώθηκα

I [possibly] am seen

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
βλεπόμουν

[I wish] I could be seen

Assumption

[πρέπει] να
ειδώθηκα

I [must] have been seen

Imperative Progressive

να βλέπεσαι!

[start] being seen!

Imperative

να ειδωθείς!

be seen!

Present Perfect

έχω ειδωθεί

I have been seen

Pluperfect

είχα ειδωθεί

I had been seen

Future Perfect

θα έχω ειδωθεί

I will have been seen

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα ειδωθεί

I would have been seen

Past Participle

ειδωμένο, -νη, -νος

seen

Middle Voice

Present

--

I see myself

Imperative Middle

--

Note 1: To express the meaning of the middle voice (“I see
myself”), another verb is used: κοιτάζομαι (from
active κοιτάζω = I look at), the middle imperative of
which is: κοιτάξου! (=look at yourself!)

Note 1: Only the present tense has
the alternative form πάω (declined as: πάω, πας,
πάει, πάμε, πάτε, πάνε). None of the other
vanilla forms becomes “contaminated” with the strawberry
flavor.

Note 2: the present tense form “πάω
να...” very rarely can denote future (“I am going
to [do smth]”). One example would be, “πάει να τα
καταφέρει” (“he/she is [almost] going to make it”).
But such examples are hard to find. Do not use “πάω
να” as a substitute for “I will” in Greek; instead, this
verb almost always implies motion from one location to another.

Note 3: Although “πάε!” is
given as the simple imperative form above, complying with the
strawberry flavor, in practice the command “go!” is expressed
almost always by progressive (vanilla) imperative “πήγαινε!”,
probably because “going” is conceptualized as a progressive
act.

bring, fetch :φέρνω / φέρω

Active Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem -φερν-

Strawberry flavor:
stem -φερ-

Present

φέρνω

I bring / am bringing

Imperfect

έφερνα

I was bringing / used to bring

Past

έφερα

I brought

Future Progressive

θα φέρνω

I will be bringing

Future

θα φέρω

I will bring

Subjunctive Progressive

να φέρνω

to be bringing

Subjunctive

να φέρω

to bring

Conditional Progressive

θα έφερνα

I would bring / be bringing

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα έφερα

I [possibly] brought

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να έφερνα

[I wish] I could bring

Assumption

[πρέπει] να έφερα

I [must] have brought

Imperative Progressive

φέρνε!

[start] bringing!

Imperative

φέρε!

bring!

Present Perfect

έχω φέρει

I have brought

Pluperfect

είχα φέρει

I had brought

Future Perfect

θα έχω φέρει

I will have brought

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα φέρει

I would have brought

Present Participle

φέρνοντας

bringing

Passive Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem -φερν-

Chocolate flavor:
stem -φερθ-

Present

φέρνομαι

I am [being] brought

Imperfect

φερνόμουν

I was being brought

Past

φέρθηκα

I was brought

Future Progressive

θα φέρνομαι

I will be being brought

Future

θα φερθώ

I will be brought

Subjunctive Progressive

να φέρνομαι

to be being brought

Subjunctive

να φερθώ

to be brought

Conditional Progressive

θα φερνόμουν

I would be brought

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα
φέρθηκα

I [possibly] am brought

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
φερνόμουν

[I wish] I could be brought

Assumption

[πρέπει] να
φέρθηκα

I [must] have been brought

Imperative Progressive

να φέρνεσαι!

[start] being brought!

Imperative

να φερθείς!

be brought!

Present Perfect

έχω φερθεί

I have been brought

Pluperfect

είχα φερθεί

I had been brought

Future Perfect

θα έχω φερθεί

I will have been brought

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα φερθεί

I would have been brought

Past Participle

φερμένο, -νη, -νος

brought

Middle Voice

Present

φέρομαι

I behave

Imperative Middle

φέρσου!

behave!

Note 1: The verb above has an alternative form: φέρω in the active present (έφερα,
active imperfect), which is less colloquial, making its vanilla
stem identical to its strawberry. In this, rather learned form,
φέρω usually has the sense “I bear, I have on myself”.
E.g.: η ελληνική σημαία φέρει σταυρό (“the
Greek flag bears a cross”), or: φέρει ουλή στο
πρόσωπο (“bears a scar on the face”).

Note 2: The middle form φέρομαι
is produced from this alternative form, φέρω (see note 1),
and has a completely different meaning (“I behave”), which is
much more common as a concept than the passive one (“I
am brought”). Thus, a form such as φέρθηκα means, in
most cases, “I behaved”. E.g.: μου φέρθηκε
άσχημα (“he/she behaved badly to me / dealt with me badly”).
However, the presence of the consonant ν in the stem usually
signifies passive voice, e.g.: η φλόγα φέρνεται
από την Ολυμπία (“the flame is brought from
Olympia”). The meaning of “behave” can also be rendered
through συμπεριφέρομαι,
which is conjugated exactly as φέρομαι, prepending the
prepositions συν- & περι- (resulting in συμπερι-)
to all its forms.

Etymology Note (based on note 3): It is not a
coincidence that the above verbs refer, differ, transfer,
offer, and suffer all have a common ending; they
are all derivatives of Latin ferre, which is akin to
Greek φέρω.

be about, concern,
regard :αφορώ

Active Voice (this verb has
no passive or middle voice)

Present

αφορώ

I regard / I am regarding

Imperfect

αφορούσα

I was regarding / used to
regard

Past

--

I regarded

Future Progressive

θα αφορώ

I will be regarding

Future

--

I will regard

Subjunctive Progressive

να αφορώ

to be regarding

Subjunctive

--

to regard

Conditional Progressive

θα αφορούσα

I would regard

Judgment

--

I [possibly] regarded

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
αφορούσα

[I wish] I could regard

Assumption

--

I [must] have regarded

Imperative Progressive

να αφοράς!

regard! [continuously]

Imperative

--

regard!

Present Perfect

--

I have regarded

Pluperfect

--

I had regarded

Future Perfect

--

I will have regarded

Conditional Perfect

--

I would have regarded

Present Participle

αφορώντας

regarding

Note 1: This verb lacks not only passive and
middle voice, but also the entire strawberry flavor. It is found
almost always in the 3rd person: αφορά (present) and
αφορούσε (imperfect), as in “ο νέος ιός
αφορά τους υπολογιστές εκείνους
που...” (“the new virus is about [affects] those computers
that...”), or: “η είδηση αφορούσε όλους
όσοι...” (“the news concerned [was about] all those
who...”). Or, consider these examples in the plural: “τα
νέα αφορούν τις χώρες της Ευρώπης”
(“the news concern [are about] the countries of Europe”), or:
“δεν αφορούσαν εμένα” (“they were not
about me”).

Note 2: There are some very common stock phrases
using this verb that explain its high frequency of occurrence: 1.
“όσον αφορά τον/την/το (or στον/στην/στο
- see note 3)...”, meaning “regarding the...”, and 2. “δεν
σε αφορά!”, meaning “it’s none of your business!”
(lit.: “it does not concern you!”)

Note 3: There has been some discussion regarding
whether τον/την/το or στον/στην/στο should
follow αφορά. Grammarians have insisted that the correct
syntax is αφορά στον/στην/στο, and that people
who use τον/την/το do so erroneously. This suggestion for
correction has been around since the early 80’s. Nonetheless, a
search on the internet reveals that people overwhelmingly use the
τον/την/το forms of the article (83%), rather than
στον/στην/στο (17%), following this verb.

mean; signal :σημαίνω

Active Voice (this verb has
no passive or middle voice)

Vanilla flavor:
stem -σημαιν-

Strawberry flavor:
stem -σημαν-

Present

σημαίνω

I mean / signal

Imperfect

σήμαινα

I meant / used to mean / was
signaling

Past

σήμανα

I signaled

Future Progressive

θα σημαίνω

I will be meaning/signaling

Future

θα σημάνω

I will signal

Subjunctive Progressive

να σημαίνω

to be meaning/signaling

Subjunctive

να σημάνω

to signal

Conditional Progressive

θα σήμαινα

I would mean/signal/be
signaling

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα
σήμανα

I [possibly] signaled

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
σήμαινα

[I wish] I could mean/signal

Assumption

[πρέπει] να
σήμανα

I [must] have signaled

Imperative Progressive

σήμαινε!

[start] signaling!

Imperative

σήμανε!

signal!

Present Perfect

έχω σημάνει

I have signaled

Pluperfect

είχα σημάνει

I had signaled

Future Perfect

θα έχω σημάνει

I will have signaled

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα σημάνει

I would have signaled

Present Participle

σημαίνοντας

meaning/signaling

Note 1: The strawberry flavor of this verb has
almost always the meaning “signal”, not “mean”, because
the latter cannot be conceived of in an instantaneous sense in
Greek: if something σημαίνει (“means”), it “means”
continuously. In contrast, in English the form “I am meaning”
sounds rather peculiar, if not plain wrong.

Note 2: This verb works as a prepositional verb
constructor, with one preposition only (in parentheses: imperfect, subjunctive,
past):επισημαίνω (επί +
σημαίνω): point out, single out (επισήμαινα,
επισημάνω, επισήμανα)

Note: There is no past participle for the above verb (“βρεμένο,
-η, -ος” means “wet”, not “found”). To say that
something “is found” the 3rd person sg. of present tense is
used: βρίσκεται. Also, there is no middle imperative; to
say “be located!” the 2nd person sg. of progressive
subjunctive is used: να βρίσκεσαι!

know :ξέρω

Active Voice (this verb has
no passive or middle voice)

Present

ξέρω

I know

Imperfect

ήξερα

I used to know

Past

ήξερα

I knew

Future Progressive

θα ξέρω

I will be knowing

Future

θα ξέρω

I will know

Subjunctive Progressive

να ξέρω

to be knowing

Subjunctive

να ξέρω

to know

Conditional Progressive

θα ήξερα

I would know

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα ήξερα

I [possibly] knew

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να ήξερα

[I wish] I knew

Assumption

[πρέπει] να ήξερα

I [must] have known

Imperative Progressive

ξέρε!

know! [continuously]

Imperative

ξέρε!

know!

Present Perfect

(“έχω γνωρίσει”)

I have known

Pluperfect

(“είχα γνωρίσει”)

I had known

Future Perfect

(“θα έχω
γνωρίσει”)

I will have known

Conditional Perfect

(“θα είχα
γνωρίσει”)

I would have known

Present Participle

ξέροντας

knowing

Note: This is one more verb with identical
vanilla and strawberry flavors. Its perfect senses are formed
through another verb: γνωρίζω, which also means “I know”,
but in a slightly different sense: “be aware/cognizant of”,
“have intimate knowledge of” (akin to Spanish conocer; while
ξέρω is akin to Sp. saber).

mention, report :αναφέρω

Active Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem ανα + -φερ-

Strawberry flavor:
stem ανα + -φερ-

Present

αναφέρω

I mention / am mentioning

Imperfect

ανέφερα

I was mentioning / used to
mention

Past

ανέφερα

I mentioned

Future Progressive

θα αναφέρω

I will be mentioning

Future

θα αναφέρω

I will mention

Subjunctive Progressive

να αναφέρω

to be mentioning

Subjunctive

να αναφέρω

to mention

Conditional Progressive

θα ανέφερα

I would mention / be mentioning

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα
ανέφερα

I [possibly] mentioned

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
ανέφερα

[I wish] I could mention

Assumption

[πρέπει] να
ανέφερα

I [must] have mentioned

Imperative Progressive

ανάφερε!

[start] mentioning!

Imperative

ανάφερε!

mention!

Present Perfect

έχω αναφέρει

I have mentioned

Pluperfect

είχα αναφέρει

I had mentioned

Future Perfect

θα έχω αναφέρει

I will have mentioned

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα αναφέρει

I would have mentioned

Present Participle

αναφέροντας

mentioning

Passive Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem ανα + -φερ-

Chocolate flavor:
stem ανα + -φερθ-

Present

αναφέρομαι

I am [being] mentioned

Imperfect

αναφερόμουν

I was being mentioned

Past

αναφέρθηκα

I was mentioned

Future Progressive

θα αναφέρομαι

I will be being mentioned

Future

θα αναφερθώ

I will be mentioned

Subjunctive Progressive

να αναφέρομαι

to be being mentioned

Subjunctive

να αναφερθώ

to be mentioned

Conditional Progressive

θα αναφερόμουν

I would be mentioned

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα
αναφέρθηκα

I [possibly] am mentioned

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
αναφερόμουν

[I wish] I could be mentioned

Assumption

[πρέπει] να
αναφέρθηκα

I [must] have been mentioned

Imperative Progressive

να αναφέρεσαι!

[start] being mentioned!

Imperative

να αναφερθείς!

be mentioned!

Present Perfect

έχω αναφερθεί

I have been mentioned

Pluperfect

είχα αναφερθεί

I had been mentioned

Future Perfect

θα έχω αναφερθεί

I will have been mentioned

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα
αναφερθεί

I would have been mentioned

Past Participle

αναφερμένο, -νη, -νος

mentioned

Middle Voice

Present

αναφέρομαι

I refer

Imperative Middle

αναφέρσου!

refer!

Note 1: The irregularity of the verb above is
that its vanilla and strawberry stems are identical. Also note,
the middle voice form has a different sense, “I refer to”,
which is active in English. This sense is much more common than
the passive “I am mentioned”. For example, the phrase “ο
Ηρόδοτος αναφέρεται στους ελληνο-περσικούς
πολέμους” means “Herodotus refers to [writes about]
the Greco-Persian wars” (not that “Herodotus is
mentioned in the Greco-Persian wars”).

Note 2: This verb is actually a compound one,
made by the preposition ανά + the verb φέρω.
It is listed explicitly here because of its high frequency of
occurrence. Otherwise, all other compound (prepositional) verb
forms of φέρω are listed here.

put :βάζω

Active Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem -βαζ-

Strawberry flavor:
stem -βαλ-

Present

βάζω

I put / am putting

Imperfect

έβαζα

I was putting / used to put

Past

έβαλα

I put

Future Progressive

θα βάζω

I will be putting

Future

θα βάλω

I will put

Subjunctive Progressive

να βάζω

to be putting

Subjunctive

να βάλω

to put

Conditional Progressive

θα έβαζα

I would put / be putting

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα έβαλα

I [possibly] put

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να έβαζα

[I wish] I could put

Assumption

[πρέπει] να έβαλα

I [must] have put

Imperative Progressive

βάζε!

[start] putting!

Imperative

βάλε!

put!

Present Perfect

έχω βάλει

I have put

Pluperfect

είχα βάλει

I had put

Future Perfect

θα έχω βάλει

I will have put

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα βάλει

I would have put

Present Participle

βάζοντας

putting

Passive Voice: this verb has
no passive voice sense; though βάζομαι is
possible, in practice the verb τοποθετούμαι
(active τοποθετώ) is used to denote the idea “I
am put by someone”. However, the chocolate flavor -βαλθ-
is used in a middle voice sense (see below).

Middle Voice

Vanilla flavor

Chocolate flavor:
stem -βαλθ-

Present

--

I am [being] put

Imperfect

--

I was being put

Past

βάλθηκα να...

I am/was set to... (determined)

Future Progressive

--

I will be being put

Future

θα βαλθώ να...

I will be set to...

Subjunctive Progressive

--

to be being put

Subjunctive

να βαλθώ να...

to be set to...

Conditional Progressive

--

I would be put

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα
βάλθηκα να...

I [possibly] am set to...

Wish / Hope (Optative)

--

[I wish] I could be put

Assumption

[πρέπει] να
βάλθηκα να...

I [must] have been set to...

Imperative Progressive

--

[start] being put!

Imperative

βάλσου να...!

be set to...!

Present Perfect

έχω βαλθεί να...

I have been set to...

Pluperfect

είχα βαλθεί να...

I had been set to...

Future Perfect

θα έχω βαλθεί να...

I will have been set to...

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα βαλθεί να...

I would have been set to...

Past Participle

βαλμένο, -νη, -νος

placed, set to...

Note: The middle sense βάλθηκα is almost
always followed by a verb in the subjunctive, hence the particle
να... is included in the table above. Similarly in English,
when the verb “set” is used in the same sense, it is almost
always followed by an infinitive (to...), corresponding to the
Greek subjunctive. Example: βάλθηκε να σπάσει
όλα τα ρεκόρ (“s/he was set to break all records”).

Note 1: The missing past participle is not a
missing concept in Greek. To say, for example, “the proposed
law”, the progressive present participle is used: “ο
προτεινόμενος νόμος”. In Greek
conceptualization, the act of proposing cannot be considered
finished unless a decision is taken; hence the past participle is
conceptually inappropriate for this verb.

Note: The missing strawberry flavor is explained
conceptually by the fact that this verb can be understood only in
a progressive sense, not in an instantaneous one: if something
“belongs”, it usually belongs with an implied duration, not
instantly. This is true conceptually, so it is independent of the
language we speak. Greek reflects this observation by lacking a
strawberry flavor for this verb. English reflects it in a
different way: the verb “to belong” conceptually still has a
progressive aspect, which it “usurps” from its grammatically
progressive form; thus, to say “I am belonging” sounds
distinctly peculiar and unusual (though it is grammatically
possible).

send :στέλνω /
στέλλω

Active Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem -στελν-

Strawberry flavor:
stem -στειλ-

Present

στέλνω / στέλλω

I send / am sending

Imperfect

έστελνα

I was sending / used to send

Past

έστειλα

I sent

Future Progressive

θα στέλνω

I will be sending

Future

θα στείλω

I will send

Subjunctive Progressive

να στέλνω

to be sending

Subjunctive

να στείλω

to send

Conditional Progressive

θα έστελνα

I would send / be sending

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα
έστειλα

I [possibly] sent

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
έστελνα

[I wish] I could send

Assumption

[πρέπει] να
έστειλα

I [must] have sent

Imperative Progressive

στέλνε!

[start] sending!

Imperative

στείλε!

send!

Present Perfect

έχω στείλει

I have sent

Pluperfect

είχα στείλει

I had sent

Future Perfect

θα έχω στείλει

I will have sent

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα στείλει

I would have sent

Present Participle

στέλνοντας

sending

Passive Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem -στελν-

Chocolate flavor:
stem -σταλθ-

Present

στέλνομαι

I am [being] sent

Imperfect

στελνόμουν

I was being sent

Past

στάλθηκα

I was sent

Future Progressive

θα στέλνομαι

I will be being sent

Future

θα σταλώ

I will be sent

Subjunctive Progressive

να στέλνομαι

to be being sent

Subjunctive

να σταλώ

to be sent

Conditional Progressive

θα στελνόμουν

I would be sent

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα
στάλθηκα

I [possibly] am sent

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
στελνόμουν

[I wish] I could be sent

Assumption

[πρέπει] να
στάλθηκα

I [must] have been sent

Imperative Progressive

να στέλνεσαι!

[start] being sent!

Imperative

να σταλείς!

be sent!

Present Perfect

έχω σταλεί

I have been sent

Pluperfect

είχα σταλεί

I had been sent

Future Perfect

θα έχω σταλεί

I will have been sent

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα σταλεί

I would have been sent

Past Participle

σταλμένο, -νη, -νος

sent

Middle Voice

Present

στέλνομαι

I send myself

Imperative Middle

στάλσου!

send yourself!

Note 1: The middle imperative “στάλσου”
can be considered rare to objectionable (some native speakers
might claim it is never uttered).

Etymology note: The English word fugitive
has its root in the above Greek word.

eat :τρώω

Active Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem -τρωγ-

Strawberry flavor:
stem -φαγ-

Present

τρώω / τρώγω

I eat / am eating

Imperfect

έτρωγα

I was eating / used to eat

Past

έφαγα

I ate

Future Progressive

θα τρώω/τρώγω

I will be eating

Future

θα φάω/φάγω

I will eat

Subjunctive Progressive

να τρώω/τρώγω

to be eating

Subjunctive

να φάω/φάγω

to eat

Conditional Progressive

θα έτρωγα

I would eat / be eating

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα έφαγα

I [possibly] ate

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να έτρωγα

[I wish] I could eat

Assumption

[πρέπει] να έφαγα

I [must] have eaten

Imperative Progressive

τρώγε!

[start] eating!

Imperative

φάε! / φάγε!

eat!

Present Perfect

έχω φάει

I have eaten

Pluperfect

είχα φάει

I had eaten

Future Perfect

θα έχω φάει

I will have eaten

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα φάει

I would have eaten

Present Participle

τρώγοντας

eating

Passive Voice

Vanilla flavor:
stem -τρωγ-

Chocolate flavor:
stem -φαγωθ-

Present

τρώγομαι

I am [being] eaten

Imperfect

τρωγόμουν

I was being eaten

Past

φαγώθηκα

I was eaten

Future Progressive

θα τρώγομαι

I will be being eaten

Future

θα φαγωθώ

I will be eaten

Subjunctive Progressive

να τρώγομαι

to be being eaten

Subjunctive

να φαγωθώ

to be eaten

Conditional Progressive

θα τρωγόμουν

I would be eaten

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα
φαγώθηκα

I [possibly] am eaten

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
τρωγόμουν

[I wish] I could be eaten

Assumption

[πρέπει] να
φαγώθηκα

I [must] have been eaten

Imperative Progressive

να τρώγεσαι!

[start] being eaten!

Imperative

να φαγωθείς!

be eaten!

Present Perfect

έχω φαγωθεί

I have been eaten

Pluperfect

είχα φαγωθεί

I had been eaten

Future Perfect

θα έχω φαγωθεί

I will have been eaten

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα φαγωθεί

I would have been eaten

Past Participle

φαγωμένο, -νη, -νος

eaten

Middle Voice

Present

τρώγομαι

I quarrel

Imperative Middle

φαγώσου!

be eaten!

Note 1: The original form of this verb in the
present is τρώγω, but erosion has turned it into τρώω,
to the extent that the form τρώγω is seldom ever used (and
is probably dialectal). Erosion is applied to all persons in the
present tense; thus, instead of the (antiquated) τρώγω,
τρώγεις, τρώγει, τρώγουμε, τρώγετε,
τρώγουν (or τρώγουνε), we now have: τρώω,
τρως, τρώει, τρώμε, τρώτε, τρων (or
τρώνε). However, no erosion occurs in the imperfect and
imperative of the active voice, nor in the entire passive/middle
voice (naturally: only the most common forms can be eroded).

Note 2: The peculiar middle sense of
τρώγομαι (“I quarrel”) is rather slang, and should be
avoided in formal, or slightly formal contexts (the more
straightforward “μαλώνω” is recommended). Also note the
expression “τρώγομαι με τα ρούχα μου”,
(lit.: “I quarrel with my own clothes”) which means (in
liberal translation), “I am so anxious to quarrel with sb.
that, finding no suitable target, I start destroying/complaining
about things that belong to me, or quarreling with people of my
own circle/side/party.”

Note 3: A single prepositional compound verb is
derived from τρώγω by prepending the preposition κατά:κατατρώγω (κατά +
τρώγω): eat up (e.g., from the inside), eat completely (κατάτρωγα/κατέτρωγα, καταφάω, κατάφαγα/κατέφαγα)

Note 1: Forms such as πιω, πιες, πιει,
(under strawberry flavor) are all monosyllabic, hence not
accented in writing. The ι serves merely to palatalize
the initial π in such forms.

Note 2: The past participle has an almost
exclusively middle voice sense in this verb, meaning “I am
under the influence of alcohol”. However, all the other forms
of πίνομαι do not have connotations with alcohol.
For example, πίνομαι means exclusively “I am
drunk by somebody / I am drinkable” (hence, for conceptual
reasons, it appears mostly in the 3rd person: πίνεται), as
in: το νερό πίνεται (“the water is drinkable”).
The sense “I am drunk (under the influence of alcohol)” is
given by: “είμαι πιωμένος” or, slightly more
formally: “είμαι μεθυσμένος”.

Note 3: There is a compound verb derived from
πίνω by prepending the adverb πάρα (very):παραπίνω (πάρα +
πίνω): drink too much alcohol, to the point of becoming, or
nearly becoming, drunk (παραέπινα,
παραπιώ, παραήπια)

Note 4: There is a single compound prepositional
verb formed by πίνω:καταπίνω (κατά +
πίνω): swallow (κατάπινα,
καταπιώ, κατάπια)

suffer, undergo :παθαίνω

Active Voice (this verb has
no passive or middle voice)

Vanilla flavor:
stem -παθαιν-

Strawberry flavor:
stem -παθ-

Present

παθαίνω

I suffer / am suffering

Imperfect

πάθαινα

I was suffering / used to
suffer

Past

έπαθα

I suffered

Future Progressive

θα παθαίνω

I will be suffering

Future

θα πάθω

I will suffer

Subjunctive Progressive

να παθαίνω

to be suffering

Subjunctive

να πάθω

to suffer

Conditional Progressive

θα πάθαινα

I would suffer / be suffering

Judgment

[μάλλον] θα έπαθα

I [possibly] suffered

Wish / Hope (Optative)

[ήθελα] να
πάθαινα

[I wish] I could suffer

Assumption

[πρέπει] να έπαθα

I [must] have suffered

Imperative Progressive

πάθαινε!

[start] suffering!

Imperative

πάθε!

suffer!

Present Perfect

έχω πάθει

I have suffered

Pluperfect

είχα πάθει

I had suffered

Future Perfect

θα έχω πάθει

I will have suffered

Conditional Perfect

θα είχα πάθει

I would have suffered

Present Participle

παθαίνοντας

suffering

Note: There is no English verb corresponding
exactly to the meaning of παθαίνω. “Suffer” is more
frequently translated as υποφέρω, whereas “undergo”
corresponds more accurately to υφίσταμαι. Παθαίνω
is like “suffer” but in the sense of “suffer damage” (=“παθαίνω
ζημιά”) or “sustain loss”; not as is “suffer
and feel pain (physical or psychological) from my suffering” (=
“υποφέρω”).

Note: Do not use θα
άρεζα (conditional progressive, active voice) as the
translation for I would like, as in
“I would like a coffee”; for this expression, use “θα
ήθελα” (e.g., “θα ήθελα έναν καφέ”). Θα άρεζα has the meaning I would like as in: “I would like this
person if only he were more cheerful.”

...To be continued... Stay tuned...

Footnotes

1. The list of 1000 most common
Greek words (or 1000 most common verbs, etc.), can be obtained
from the pages of the Hellenic
National Corpus™. To obtain the list do the following
counter-intuitive actions: go to the link just given, and do
not select the “English Interface” at the bottom,
because its search function does not work (as of the last update
of this page). On the Greek interface, there are four buttons at
the top, just under the main title. The 3rd button reads:
Αναζήτηση. Click on it. You are brought to a page with
various options. Ignore all of them and look at the
bottom, where the next-to-last link reads: Στατιστικά
στοιχεία. This will bring you to this page, where you’ll
see four links plus some edit-boxes and buttons. The first two
links give the 100 and 1000 most common words (each form of a
word included), and the next two links give the 100 and 1000 most
common entries (where each entry summarizes all forms of a word).
Disclaimer: if the above interface is now
different, please forgive the obsoleteness of this description!

As an alternative method to finding statistics of usage,
simple GoogleTM searches were
also employed. This method gives results that are probably more
faithful to the spoken language, because the majority of Greek
web pages are written in colloquial Greek, rather than in
literary, academic, or technical language.

2. Thanks to Greg Brush for several errata and suggestions he
made available to me after reading this page.